Candleless
by Dear Aunt Elladora
Summary: Logical and slightly bitter Susie Carmicheal sits at a bar alone on the eve of her 29th birthday, fully content moping until an unexpected visitor from her past sits beside her... [one shot, random pairing, short mentions of CA, PK]


Someone told her once that it was not polite for one to sing to themselves "Happy Birthday." But, really, through all the memories that seem to be flooding over her on this day of her birthday, she recalls it was Angelica Pickles who told her that, so it doesn't count. The only thing it does is give evidence to Angelica's unending hypocrisy and superiority, because Angelica would lead the freaking chorus in her birthday in her scratchy psuedo-soprano.

_Ouch, Carmicheal, _she hisses to herself as she idly twirls the olive around in her clear martini, _you're getting bitter in your old age. _On that note, she sees not other option but to sing to herself. In all honesty, it was almost a last resort. She was just another faceless woman in another nameless bar, and that unnerved her to the degree that humming the song to herself was the perfect solution to such mediocracy.

That is until, unexpectedly, a man slides into the seat beside her with a mile-wide smile and wishes her a happy birthday. The way his voice drips over the words, her bitterness almost slides down with her quick sip of her martini. He's good looking, she can't help but admit, and good God almighty, he'd just hit on her. _Just wait, _she reminded herself, _he'll be talking to the male bartender or he's blind or _

But all her excuses meant nothing as he extended a hand to her as an introduction: "My friend has the same birthday."

She shakes it lightly, her eyes lighting up as she straightens her posture in the seat. "Well, why aren't you out celebration with him? Isn't that what people do on birthdays with their friends?"

He quickly sends an order to the bartender behind the counter and she watches him carefully, something about him seems so unnervingly familiar. "I'd like to direct the same question back to you, beautiful, where are your friends? They must be running late, no one would have stood such a girl up."

She smirks, hating the cheesiness of his compliments yet takes them in.

He continues: "...also, my friend? Whose birthday is today? She's a girl. And right now I happen to be forever-away from home on a buisness trip, so I wandered around this rather large city of yours."

She couldn't help but wonder how he knew she lived here. She didn't have an accent, having not moved here since she'd graduated college and found a job here. Oh, it'd be three years next month. But as those words seemed to throw her off track, she had no preparation for the rest of his speech that nearly knocked her off her barstool.

"...and much to my suprise, I ended up finding this friend of mine. I haven't seen her in ages, far too long, but I never forget a pretty face. As shocked as I was that she happened to be in _this _nightclub at _this _time, I decided to approach her. Because it's only nice to wish her a happy birthday, so, you heard me, Suz: Happy Birthday."

She studies him for a little while, a little dizzy with confusion by his speech, before reaching back and shoving his shoulder.

"Dil Pickles! I declare!"

He smiles that dazzling smile and she's struck dumb: when she left to go to college, Dil was middle school weirdo in an oversized hat with braces and acne. His hardly-seen hair was far from these slightly wavy, dark auburn locks. His eyes must have always been that blue, they'd just never struck her the same way, and his facial features were so better defined, slight freckles dusting the bridge of his nose. All and all, puberty had done nothing but help him.

"Susie. It's been too long. Needless to say, you look ... as amazing as ever."

She scoffed, drinking her next sip. "What are you _doing _here, loser?"

"Work stuff. Office, blah, boring. Actually, I love it to death, but if I tried to explain it..." he trailed off and she laughed understandingly. "What have you _been _doing here, with just random cards of hello during the holidays? No pictures, no phone calls, no return address: have you been on the run from the government?"

She smiles her pearly whites: some things (like Dil's belief in keeping the government under constant scrutiny) never seemed to change.

"I talk to people! Angelica actually managed to track me down, God knows how of course. But you know Angelica..."

Where she trailed off, he picked up, "...it doesn't matter how old she is, her powers of persuasion never cease to exist."

"And old is something... gah, Dil. She's engaged. Never thought I'd see the day. Though, in true Angelica fashion, she's withheld the groom's name to create as much drama as physically possible."

"Oh," Dil is nonchalant in his response, "I know who it is."

"Who!" She shrieks, then shoves him when he shrugs in response. "Dil!" She starts to tickle him before he backs off.

He sighs, "You're not going to believe me."

"Dil, who sat down and listened to you theorize on little green men conspiracies?"

"Fine," he chuckled, "Chuckie."

She looks up to him, eyes wide, "Say that again?"

It's his turn to smirk: "Chuckie. Chuck. Charles Finster. Red hair, real tall fellow, you've known him since toddler-times."

"Get out!" she sighs.

He shrugs, "I don't wanna know anymore than I do. Angelica's still my cousin, and even if I'm happy for them, I still ... just don't wanna know. I'm not supposed to, but you know me and looking for hidden truths. That wasn't pretty, that hidden one."

"Oh," she replies excitedly, leaning in like a gossip girl, "my lips are sealed."

And there's a minute of dead silence where she just... gets lost in his eyes, despite the cliche. She knew she'd never noticed the blue-ness of them, but now, so close, it was hard to deny. They stood transfixed, hyperaware of her hand which had been subconciously placed on his leg. Any other time, any other place, all the logic Susie had would have been thrown outside the window in a heaving, chucking moment. But this wasn't any other guy.

It was Dil who drew back first, coughing slightly. She mirrored his actions, her mind spinning. What was _that?_ Eager for conversation, she listens up when he starts speaking again.

"That's not the only rugrat-based love, though. Phil and Kimi are pregnant."

Susie allows herself to gasp, "But they just had the twins! Phil needs to slow it down before Kimi goes crazy."

"It's Phil and Kimi," Dil states simply, "I don't think the words _slow _and _down _are in their vocabulary."

She allows herself to laugh, finding truth in his words. "You know, I always thought it'd be Tommy and Kimi to get together."

"Yeah, who didn't? I think it's just kindof an overall shock to my parents their perfect eldest child has yet to be wed."

She tilts her head to the side, "Do I detect a hint of bitterness in your voice, Dil?"

"No, of course not, Susie. It's just, no matter what, he's always going to be who he is. That might not make a whole lot of sense, and it doesn't mean I don't love him: because, good God, I love him so much. It's just it's hard walking in his shadow."

"Walking in his shadow! You didn't come third to the overwhelmingly intelligent brother and the strinkingly beautiful sister."

"You managed to combine both: Susie, you're one of the top lawyers in this massive city and you're not even thirty. And not only are you awesome to listen to when they spotlight you on Daytime America because your wit-filled points and lilted laughter, you don't look bad at _any _angle."

"So you haven't missed me that much, since you get to see Dianne crossexamining me once a month?"

She senses him tense and relax, studying him hard and begging for a response with her eyes. "More than you know, Sus," the time between them is suspended between them as the eyes start relocking. Again, it's him who breaks the contact off.

"But we all do. Angelica needs some healthy competition, Kimi is going crazy for a spare babysitter, even Tommy hits a creative road block."

"And you?" She almost can't ask and is suprised when she hears herself saying it. Over and over her mind tells her that it was a bad idea and that she doesn't want to know, but for once she's deafened all the crippling and overpowering logic.

Her eyes lock his despite whatever torture he's putting her under by not speaking. And for a minute, without him saying anything, she almost knows the answer to her question and it's the one she's afraid of.

"I'm gonna kiss you now," he says, and her heart's thudding inside her chest.

"No," she whispers, because her logic has overridden her sense of speech. And as much as she hates it, this is_ still _Dil Pickles, despite his charm and his wit and his looks. This is the kid she used to babysit for, who came all the way here and found her and no it was not _fate, _because all claiming that fate exists gets you is laughed at in a court.

But he almost was hoping for her negative. "Good," he says slowly, leaning in to close the gap. Her eyelids flicker slowly and she succumbs to his heat-filled kiss.

Ever so quietly as not to disturb the passion-filled couple, the bartender begins humming the tune of Happy Birthday.

**Author's note: **gahhh I cannot do endings. Blerr. Okay, and _don't you dare _call this random. That's my job: this is officially one of the most random fanfics I have ever written. Clap now. I have actually written a Rugrats fic before, so that aids to the non-random claim. And... the pairing? Weeee-aaaarrr-d. Of course its the youngest with the oldest, that's how my brain works, man. Dunno _how _I thought of it... it was just, I can see a beautiful, thin African model Susie at a bar looking gorgeous and then... boom. And my pairings for this fandom just keep being random-er and random-er, the only one I'm really _set _on is Chuckie&Angie. I dig it. Arr I got home from DC today random insight into my life so I'm on creative overload and extreme fatigue, so that is my plausible excuse for where this came from. And it wasn't even very good. It just got written and I felt like posting it. I am going to seleeeeeep now. Bed. Yum.

**_Review, please!_**


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